


Vanilla {NicoMaki}

by celestialtaehyung



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Coffee, Coffee Shops, F/F, Falling In Love, Love, Love Live! References, Manga & Anime, Playing Love Live! School Idol Festival, Vanilla
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 17:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11559750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialtaehyung/pseuds/celestialtaehyung
Summary: When a girl who doesn't talk so much meets a girl who does -- a lot.{potentially discontinued; i may come back to this if i have the time or motivation, but right now i'm more inspired to write other things, so it'll be on hold}





	1. 01

**Author's Note:**

> hello again to those of you that have come from my previous fic~! before you read, i want to say that i listened to the feedback i received on the last fic and have decided to post vanilla (clearly), but i also wanted to post option four, so updates will be as follows: thursdays; vanilla and saturdays; return to angel haven. i hope you don't mind too much! <3
> 
> and to those of you that are reading for the first time, hello! i hope you enjoy this fic~ <3

For as long as she could remember, every day had been exactly the same: she woke up, she got dressed, she went to work, and then she came back home again. Her routine would only ever change on the days that she didn’t have work, but even then she found herself doing the same thing: she woke up, she got dressed, she stayed inside and found ways to entertain herself, and then she went back to sleep. It had been exactly the same for as long as she could remember and she had no desire to change that.

“I’ll have a coffee, please.”

Maki nodded at the young man as she scribbled down his order on to the small notebook she clutched within her left hand. Her purple eyes darted back upwards, drifting towards the female stood beside him. She looked expectantly at the woman, waiting for her order.

“I’ll take a hot chocolate.” The woman finally said, before grasping the man’s hand tightly. Maki nodded once more, scribbling the order down before she turned to get their drinks. As she did so, she heard the woman speak up once more, “Doesn’t she ever talk?”

Instinctively, Maki wanted to freeze up, but instead she continued to prepare the hot drinks, acting as if she hadn’t heard anything. It was a comment she was more than used to; almost every customer said it after being served by her. Many customers even requested to be served by someone else, purely because they longed for some form of conversation. Maki, on the other hand, never found herself searching for conversation.

She wasn’t anti-social or anything. She just found it difficult to trust other people, she found it difficult to get along with other people. Maki had been that way for as long as she could remember.

“I’ve been here hundreds of times, but I’ve never heard her talk.” The male responded to the female in a hushed tone, as if he were aware that Maki was able to hear them both. She did her best to feign ignorance, pouring hot liquid into empty cups as she had been trained to do. “She might be mute.”

The female spoke up again, “I think it’s weird. _She’s_ weird.”

Maki turned around, forcing a small smile on to her face as she pushed the warm drinks across the counter. The couple thanked her once more, flashing her a smile as if they hadn’t said anything insulting, before they turned away. The female moved closer to the man’s body, flipping soft hair over her shoulder.

“It’s really a shame that she’s so quiet; she’s actually very pretty.”

The red haired female closed her eyes, exhaling a long sigh. Those were the kinds of comments that she received every day, but she still couldn’t bring herself to be okay with hearing it. Though she had grown accustomed to people saying such things, she couldn’t deny that it hurt her to know what people really thought of her.

She leaned back against the counter, running a hand through her hair exasperatedly. Her wide eyes darted towards the clock, finding that it was almost time for her break. If she could survive another ten minutes, she could go for her lunch break and avoid people for _at least_ twenty minutes.

The door swung open once more, allowing a gust of wind to sweep inside the serene café. Maki turned around once more, ready to serve another customer (unless they asked to be served by someone else, of course). She froze on the spot when she found a female, who looked to be her age, striding towards the counter with a large grin on her face.

The café suddenly seemed more alive, overflowing with the girl’s confident aura. People turned to look at her, all of whom she greeted with a charming wink, before she moved on to the next person. She wore her ebony hair in childish pigtails, which Maki would have found utterly ridiculous on anyone else, and yet the person stood before her seemed to make it work.

“Hello!” The girl greeted her with an enthusiastic voice. Maki blinked to bring herself back to reality, before she grasped her notebook once more. Her hands shook as she tried to hold the pen. “You seem nervous; is this your first day on the job?”

Maki slowly looked up at the female, shaking her head as a response. She then turned her eyes back downwards, waiting for the female to give her an order. For a moment, nothing came.

“I haven’t seen you here before. I usually come here every day, unless I’m too busy, of course. You must work different hours, then.” Words continued to fall from her lips flawlessly, which left Maki watching on in awe. She wasn’t sure what to do; she could walk away and ask for someone else to serve the outgoing female, or she could potentially embarrass herself by staying quiet. “Though I suppose I might start coming at this time every day; you’re pretty cute!”

Maki’s lips parted momentarily, her eyes darting around the room in search of a co-worker. There was a brunette male stood in one corner of the shop, who had just finished attending to some customers. He turned around, meeting Maki’s gaze for a split second. She tried to send him a helpless look, in hopes of him taking over for her. But his eyes darted towards the female, before he sent Maki a playful shrug.

“Is everything okay? You haven’t said anything. Ah, you must be waiting for my order. I’m sorry, I just get so easily distracted!” The female looked at Maki with red eyes that seemed to sparkle endlessly, before they moved towards the chalkboards above Maki’s head. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad that she could go on a break after such an excitable customer. “I’ll take a hot chocolate with a dash of vanilla, please!”

Maki nodded, before turning to get the correct drink. She could feel the girl’s eyes on her the entire time as she bustled about, grabbing the ingredients she needed. Her entire body shook as she set about mixing things and stirring things, before pouring it into an empty cup. When she turned to hand it back to the female, she found that the black-haired girl was instead holding out a slip of paper.

“My name’s Nico. Yazawa Nico.” The female – who Maki now knew was called Nico – took the cup from Maki’s pale hand, replacing it with the small paper. She winked at her, before spinning on her heel. “I hope to see you again!”

Maki blinked, still in shock from what had just happened. She found herself holding her breath as she removed her apron, ambling into the break room with the sheet of paper still clutched tightly in her fist. As she seated herself on to one of the leather sofas, she delicately unfolded the note, her eyes wide as she read what had been left for her.

It was Nico’s number. And beside said number was what looked like a kiss mark.

Maki’s red brows furrowed together; she had never before met someone that was so intense, and she had never before found someone who wanted to get to know her, despite her being completely silent the entire time. They had such opposing personalities that Maki debated throwing away the paper; she was certain that the two of them could never get along. Yet, for reasons Maki couldn’t understand, she folded the paper back up and slipped it into her bag, right beside her phone.


	2. 02

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this update came a lot later than i expected;; i wanted to get it out earlier, but my computer's been having problems, so you'll have to forgive me! <3

Maki never got around to contacting the number she was given. She continued to tell herself that it was simply because she was too busy to socialize with someone else, but secretly she knew it was because she was too scared to have a long conversation with another human being, be it over text messages or a phone call.

She simply placed the piece of paper in her drawer and pushed it to the very back, where she could (hopefully) forget it had ever existed. As much as the enthusiastic girl intrigued her, Maki knew that reaching out to the female would be pointless; it would either result in horribly boring conversations, or it would end with her getting hurt. _As always_.

So Maki continued to attend work as usual, never speaking to the customers. She kept her head bowed as she served person after person, ignoring the odd comment about her behaviour and scurrying off for her break whenever she was allowed.

The sun shone through the clean window, illuminating the break room in which Maki had made herself comfortable. She sat upon a black, leather sofa, which had been adorned with brightly coloured pillows, and quietly ate her sandwich. Her purple eyes stared out of the window, watching as birds flew peacefully across the blue sky.

Maki once considered herself to be a bird. She followed a group, never stepping out of line, or questioning where they were going. For the longest time, she had believed that she managed to fit in with the rest of them. Just like a bird, she looked very similar to her peers; she did her best to wear similar clothing, and like similar things. It was normal to her, so she never questioned it.

And then one day, everything collapsed. Her peers became people that she had never known before; they turned on her, they tore apart her wings and her confidence. All of her differences – all of her flaws – became painfully apparent to her. Maki realised on that day that she wasn’t supposed to fit in with other human beings; she was supposed to walk alone, while others could fly above her.

With a sigh, Maki shook the thoughts from her head. It would do her no good to dwell upon events of the past. Instead, she turned her attention to the door, which had been opened by her brunette co-worker.

“Hey, Maki.” He greeted her, closing the wooden door behind himself. Raking a hand through his messy hair, he removed his black apron, abandoning it on the identical sofa opposite Maki. Without even grabbing any food, he flopped down onto said sofa. “It’s been a tiring day, huh?”

He was one of the only people that Maki spoke to, albeit very little. She replied, “Yeah.”

“About that girl from the other day – did you contact her? She seemed nice.” His equally dark eyes turned to address Maki. They were kind eyes – the ones that made you feel safe, the ones that made you feel happy. Maki liked his eyes. “I haven’t seen her since, even though she claims to come here a lot.”

“I didn’t.”

The boy furrowed his brows, “I suppose you wouldn’t. You should have done! Texting isn’t the same as talking, you know.”

“I know.”

“But you’re scared anyway.”

Maki nodded.

The boy sighed, before standing up. He moved around the small coffee table, seating himself beside Maki. She recoiled slightly, before forcing herself to relax beside him; she _knew_ that he wouldn’t hurt her, and yet her fear managed to cloud her better judgement. The brunette slung an arm around Maki’s shoulders, pulling her into an awkward hug.

“I’ll never understand why you’re so scared of people, but you need to get out there, kid!” He always spoke to her as if she were a child, but Maki didn’t mind. In fact, she usually found it quite amusing. “You’re super cute, so I bet anyone would love to talk to you!”

“Thank you.”

He ruffled her red hair momentarily, before making his way over to the counters along the right wall. The boy shuffled about, gathering food that he had brought for his lunch. Maki watched him silently, feeling a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Just as she opened her mouth to say something more to him, the wooden door opened once more.

“Maki, there’s a customer asking for you.”

Maki quirked a brow, before nodding in response. The person disappeared once more, leaving Maki to tie her apron around her waist once more, abandoning the remains of her sandwich upon the coffee table. She glanced over her shoulder once more, receiving a reassuring smile from the brunette, before she made her way out of the break room.

As she grasped her notebook within her pale hands once more, her eyes darted upwards, trying to find a person stood on the other side of the counter. But she found no one. The red-haired female hesitantly approached the counter once more, her lips parted in disbelief. Had her co-worker played a joke on her?

And then she heard a familiar, chirpy voice. Maki turned her head to the side, spying a familiar head of ebony hair at one of the tables. She was talking loudly with the people sat there, her small hand patting the head of a young child, who was giggling in response. The people at the table seemed so enthralled in what the female was saying that Maki found herself also responding the same way.

She watched in awe as the black-haired female played with the child for a moment longer, before excusing herself. The way she acted around others was so laid back that Maki found herself becoming increasingly jealous. If only she could act the same way. Maki’s eyes met bright pink ones and her cheeks flamed up, causing her to bow her head once more.

“So you _are_ here! I was thinking I’d missed you, but I’m glad I haven’t. You didn’t contact me, so I thought something might have happened. Perhaps I should have asked for your number instead.” Nico launched into a conversation of her own, which left Maki to stand, suppressing her shaking. Nico spoke with such vigour that it made Maki want to respond in the very same way, though she knew that she couldn’t. “Will you give it to me? You can write it in that notebook for me, and give me the page.”

Maki stared for a moment, before feebly nodding. She hesitantly scribbled her number upon the white page, before her pen froze. A small part of her wondered if there was any point in her sharing her details with Nico; after all, the black-haired female seemed so sociable that she’d probably have no time to talk with someone as insignificant as herself. And yet another part of her knew that, by giving her details to Nico, they would actually be able to talk to one another.

So Maki quickly signed her name and handed the small slip of paper over the counter, before she could convince herself otherwise. Her purple eyes darted upwards for a moment, watching as Nico’s sparkling ones danced across the paper so gracefully that Maki’s breath caught in her throat. She felt herself panicking even more as Nico pulled out her phone, typing in the number and saving the contact.

“I’ll be sure to contact you later! But, for now, I suppose I should actually order something, before I get you in trouble.” Nico winked at her as she leaned forward on the counter, her eyes moving across the old chalkboards. She laughed to herself as she did so, before saying, “Why do I even need to look? I’ll have the same as last time; a hot chocolate with a dash of vanilla.”

This time, Maki found herself smiling sheepishly as she turned to carry out the order.


	3. 03.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO POST -- i was having troubles with my computer, and then i had to go away on holiday, so i couldn't post anything for the longest time;; i'm looking into maybe getting a cheap laptop just for writing a posting, so i can avoid such troubles in the future ^^;; i'll try to get back to schedule now, so i'm super sorry for the delay <3

Saturday. Maki had never quite liked Saturdays. She always found herself growing bored, wandering around her apartment in nothing more than her loose pajamas. Sometimes she would go out, be it for shopping or just to visit the nearby park, but she often regretted those decisions as it meant she would have to encounter other people. So, with a bowl of cereal in one hand and a TV remote in the other, Maki found herself lounging in front of her TV at noon, with no intentions of leaving her house. The red haired female had found herself watching some kind of sitcom, though it wasn't something she enjoyed very much.

When she felt a light buzz to her right side, she jumped. The ceramic bowl squirmed about in her pale hands, threatening to spill its contents all over the front of Maki's favourite pajama shirt. A small gasp escaped her lips as she readjusted the bowl, placing it cautiously in her lap before moving her eyes to address the cause of the commotion. She found her phone resting against her thigh, a small light flickering in one corner; she had received some sort of notification. Maki rolled her eyes, believing that it was nothing more than a notification from one of her games - maybe her LP had refilled on one of her many idol games. But as she turned the screen on, she found that she had received a message from an unknown number.

**Unknown:** Hey, Maki! Sorry to disturb you at such a time, it's Nico! I was just thinking that maybe we should talk.

Maki frowned down at her screen for a moment, her mind entirely blank. It wasn't that she didn't remember the name, but that she had never expected such a vibrant person to  _actually_ contact someone like her. Her heart stopped momentarily as she fretted about how she should respond. Should she reply with a simple "hello"? Should she say that she wanted to talk with the ebony haired female? Or, perhaps, she could simply say that she was busy, and that she couldn't talk at the time; Maki had suddenly decided that she was very much engrossed in the boring sitcom and therefore couldn't talk with anyone.

She cursed internally.

**Maki Nishikino:** Hello. Sorry I couldn't message you before.

With a long sigh, she placed the phone back at her side. Nico was probably a very busy person and probably wouldn't reply for quite a while. A pair of purple eyes turned back to the TV screen, before pink lips parted in a brief yelp. Once again, Maki's phone had buzzed against her thigh. There was  _no way_ Nico could have replied so quickly. Maki was certain that it was a game, so she ignored the phone, picking up her remote to flick through different channels in hopes of finding something interesting.

_Buzz._

Her eyes scrolled down the list of shows, but nothing seemed to be catching her eye. When she spotted an old cartoon, she decided that she would settle for that. Her screen was immediately filled with bright colours, all of which reminded her of Nico. There was enthusiastic singing and dancing, and Maki wondered if Nico's life was like that. She wondered if, one day, the colour might return to her life and replace her world that seemed so dull.

_Buzz._

The red haired female felt another sigh rising in her throat as she picked up her small device once more. On many occasions, she had debated turning off notifications, but she had never really gotten around to doing it because there was nobody that contacted her outside of work, and so there were no notifications for her to ignore. But, as her eyes found Nico still messaging her, she realised that perhaps keeping her notifications on had been a good idea.

**Nico from the coffee shop:** It's fine! Don't worry about it; I'm just glad I can talk to you now.

**Nico from the coffee shop:** I was wondering if you were busy today -- if you're not doing anything, we could maybe meet up somewhere!

**Maki Nishikino:** I don't know. I'm kind of busy.

Immediately, Maki received a reply.

**Nico from the coffee shop:** Ah, is that so? I was hoping we could spend some time together, but if you're busy, then maybe another day!

**Maki Nishikino:** Maybe.

A small part of her did want to meet up with Nico. It had been a long time since she had spent time with other people outside of work, and the tiniest part of her brain was convinced that it could be fun. After all, there was no guarantee that Nico was the same as the people that had hurt her before. The words from her co-worker replayed in her head, further convincing her that, for once, she could try stepping out of her shell. For once, she could try opening up to another person.

**Nico from the coffee shop:** Again, sorry to bother you when you're busy! I'll message you again~

**Maki Nishikino:** Actually, I might be free for a little while.

**Nico from the coffee shop:** Are you sure? I wouldn't want to interrupt anything!

Maki hesitated for a moment, suddenly doubting whether or not she should go through with the idea. It had been such a long time since she had properly spent time with someone else that she wasn't quite sure what to do. How should she dress? What should she say? Thoughts whirled through her mind and she felt her body cramping up. Her breathing suddenly became short and frantic, her hands shaking as she began to type out a message, rejecting Nico's offer. But her thumb wouldn't hit the send button. Her mind seemed to be fighting against her body. One part of her longed to turn Nico down and remain in the bubble she had created around herself, but another part of her longed to reach out to someone. 

Maki longed to bring colour back into her monochrome world.

Before she could change her mind, her fingers erased the message, instead responding with an acceptance.

**Maki Nishikino:** I'm sure.

**Nico from the coffee shop:** Yay! Let's meet at the coffee shop in an hour, then. I look forward to it!

**Maki Nishikino:** Me, too.

And then Maki's eyes widened. What the  _hell_ was she playing at?! She couldn't go through with this. Suddenly, Maki was pushing herself off of the sofa, completely oblivious to the ceramic bowl that fell to the floor with a series of harsh sounds. Her cereal spilled over the wooden floor, the milk seeping into her carpet as Maki rushed to her bedroom. Her hands flung her drawers open, her eyes hurriedly searching for an appropriate outfit. Without much thought, she pulled items of clothing from within the oak dresser, flinging them towards her bed if she deemed them acceptable, or to the floor if she thought they weren't good enough.

Mere moments passed before Maki had created a mountain of clothes beside her bed. As her mind whirled with concerns and worries, she forced herself to change out of her pajamas and into the outfit she had picked out.

And then she decided she didn't like the outfit. She changed again.

But that one wasn't good enough, either. Another change of clothes. 

Maki caught a glimpse of herself in the floor length mirror that she had propped up against her wall. For a split second, she saw her younger self; bright and beaming and excited. For the briefest of moments, Maki had caught a glimpse of the person she had used to be; someone that surrounded herself with friends, someone that refused to be alone. And then she was gone, replaced instead with an awkward adult who was freaking out about meeting up with another person. She released a pitiful sigh, before settling for her third outfit.

After sorting her hair and makeup, Maki found herself stuffing items into a bag that she hadn't used for years. She made her way over to her apartment door, her eyes wide as she realised what she was about to do. Maki Nishikino, the girl that had isolated herself for so long, was finally going outside to meet up with another human being. Her heart pounding rapidly, the red haired female pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, before she could change her mind again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm also really sorry if this chapter isn't up to par -- i have a lot going on atm and i'm lowkey struggling to keep everything going, but i'm going to try my best to keep getting chapters out for y'all <3


	4. 04.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up having to buy that laptop, after all ^^;; I only got it late yesterday and had my first day of work this morning, so I struggled to find the time to write anything, but once everything is sorted, the upload schedule will resume as usual -- I may even do a double update as an apology for all the hassle as of late c':

Maki inhaled deeply, turning her pale face upwards to the bright sky. Her eyes danced across the fluffy clouds, as if she were looking to them for guidance; a small part of her wanted to hurry home before she could encounter Nico, but the clouds seemed to be persuading her to stay. She knew that she hadn't prepared herself mentally for what she was about to do, but she kept telling herself that it didn't mean anything; her and Nico weren't going to become close, Maki wasn't going to have to once again place her trust into someone else's hands.

Her slim fingers began to play about with her smooth phone, skimming through apps. Just as she was about to open a game of hers, she spied another pair of shoes entering her field of vision. When she raised her head, she found a female with ebony pigtails. Nico grinned at Maki, her eyes shining with the brightness of a million stars. Maki's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

"It's nice to see you in something other than your uniform!" Nico greeted her as a pair of pink eyes travelled up and down Maki's body. Normally, Maki would have instinctively shied away, but she felt nothing intimidating or scary about the other female. Instead, she turned her own eyes downward, checking out the outfit that she had settled for. A beige dress, with a pretty floral pattern, had been accompanied by a pink cardigan. It was an outfit that Maki had bought ages ago, but she had never had the chance to wear it out. "You look so cute!"

Maki tried to add some emotion into her voice as she breathed, "Thanks." For a brief second, Maki fumbled about in her mind for something else to follow on with; she felt as if she should compliment the female in return. Her hands began to shake at her sides as she realised that she wasn't sure what to say. Just as her mind was about to fly into a panic, she forced something to fall from her lips, "You look nice, too."

Nico's eyes widened and Maki worried that the other girl had realised just how scared she actually was. But the corners of Nico's lips turned up in a gentle smile and Maki felt herself breathe an inward sigh of relief. Perhaps she had gotten better at hiding how she truly felt. She ran a hand through her red hair self-consciously, dropping her eyes for a moment, before she felt Nico grab her hand.

"Let's go this way!" 

Maki's eyes shot open as she was suddenly dragged along the street. As much as she wanted to tug her hand back to her side, she forced herself to ignore the pounding within her chest and follow after Nico. If she never tried to face her fears, then she would never get over them. And Maki didn't want her life to be controlled by the things she was scared of. She wasn't sure if it was the talk with her co-worker the other day, or if it was because she had met such a vibrant, beautiful person, but she didn't want to hide away anymore. 

"It's been quite a while since I've been shopping, actually. I might look like the kind of person that would go shopping every weekend, but I actually have a very busy schedule. If I'm not working, I'm probably still doing things that are related to my work." As Maki was being dragged along, she listened to Nico's rambling, not wanting to miss a single word. "You're probably wondering what I actually do. The thing is, I was actually in an idol group when I was back in high school. Of course, I couldn't been a school idol after I left school - the hint's in the name:  _school_ idol. So I decided, if I couldn't  _be_ an idol, then I would help those with the same dream as myself."

Maki blinked. No wonder Nico shone so brightly. A wave of jealousy crashed down upon Maki; she had heard of idols and she had heard of such people in her own school, but she never had the confidence to join them. When she was in high school, a group of girls had attempted to form an idol group, only to be mocked at their very first show. Maki had stood in the back row, with a group of people that she had considered to be her friends, and she had been so entranced by the confidence of the girl's upon the stage. She had been so caught up in their music that she hadn't even realised as people began to shout insults at them.

"You're all ugly!"

"This is so stupid."

"None of you can even dance!"

When Maki had realised that some of the insults were coming from the people beside her, she had felt immediately sympathetic for the girls. They had tried so hard to do something that they loved, and they were good at it, but people were still putting them down. Maki had left before the girls could finish their song, not wanting to hear the abuse that they had to endure. And, since that moment, she had always hated that she didn't stand up for them; she could have said something positive to them, or told the others to stop, but she had just left. Maki had always been weak.

When she tuned back into Nico's story, she realised that they were approaching a large clothes shop. 

"During the weeks, I'm usually coaching school idols and helping to manage their groups. You'd be surprised how many people are actually interested in school idols these days. The business makes quite a lot of money, and the idols themselves get a lot of the money for their effort. Even at the weekend, I'm trying to advertise, or I'm helping to design outfits for different groups." Even as they entered the store, Nico continued to talk to Maki. Maki felt as if she should smile and nod, as if to convey that she was following along, but she didn't even get the chance to do so. "It's really fun. I couldn't ask to do anything better."

The black-haired female finally released Maki's hand, halting in front of numerous dresses. Her sparkling eyes moved across the different materials so elegantly, before they turned to address Maki. Another wide smile was sent in Maki's direction and she felt her heart skip a beat; Maki couldn't tell whether she was panicked by the situation, or if this girl was just having a strange effect on her. With a quick dismissive shake of her head, she rid the latter option from her mind.

"It sounds fun." Maki forced herself to add something to the conversation, though she feared that her sentence had come out as awkward. Once again, Nico didn't seem to notice.

"It really is! Plus, all of the idols are so nice. Maybe, one day, you can meet them! Are you interested in any idol groups at the moment?" Nico picked up one of the dresses, which was made of a soft, black material. She ran her hands over it, before holding it up against her body. As she turned her head down, Maki found herself unable to take her eyes off of the other female. "There are a lot of groups that I manage, so I'm hoping you'll name one that I work with."

"Um," Maki stammered, "I like quite a few idol groups. At the moment, I really like a new group called Aqours. They don't seem to be very popular, though."

Nico's eyes immediately lit up. "Aqours! They're the newest idol group that has come under our management. I'm certain that one day they'll be as popular as their predecessors, but since they're still very new, not many people have heard of them. All of the girls are absolutely wonderful, though!" Nico began to launch into another rant, introducing each of the girls to Maki (even though she already knew them). Maki did, however, learn a bit more about their personalities, which she hadn't quite managed to pick up through their music alone. "I'm planning a concert for them sometime soon. We're sorting out the arrangements and we still have flyers to design, but I can get you seats, if you'd like."

"Y-You don't have to do that for me." Maki was so taken aback by such kindness. She had almost forgotten what it was like to converse with other human beings. In her old group, they had never given her any gifts, nor had they really been kind to her without receiving something in return. Maki had completely forgotten that other human beings would sometimes show kindness, even without being prompted. "I-It might get you in trouble."

"I'm in charge, silly." Nico almost sang, thrusting a purple dress towards Maki. It was very light and far shorter than she was used to. "I'll definitely get some seats for you, at the front. I'll sit with you, and then you can come backstage afterwards. I'm sure the girls would love to meet someone like you. After all, I think some of them have been losing heart after their last competition; you see, they ended up with zero points. Most of them have been really strong, but I can tell it's affecting them."

Maki grasped the dress, clutching it tightly against her chest as she watched Nico with baited breath. The black-haired female began walking towards one of the other racks, her eyes constantly moving across the different items of clothing. With her breath caught in her throat, Maki followed along quietly.

"I think that meeting you will do them a lot of good. But, of course, if you're opposed to the idea, then I won't force you." Nico turned to face Maki once again, holding some sort of shirt in her hands. She looked to Maki expectantly, waiting for some sort of confirmation. There was a hope hidden behind her eyes that forced a blush into Maki's pale cheeks; did Nico  _want_ her to come? 

"I-I'll do it." Maki finally responded. "Thank you."

"Great! I'll text you the details whenever I have everything sorted, so make sure you're free on the day!" Nico's smile was so beautiful that it somehow knocked the wind out of Maki every time. For a moment, as she watched Nico rifle through different items of clothing, she forgot that she had isolated herself for years. For a moment, everything felt completely normal; Maki felt as if she was out with a close friend, enjoying the company of another human being as if nothing had ever happened. 

The ghost of a smile tugged at Maki's lips as she realised that, maybe, she could get used to spending time with Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooo, I managed to squeeze a sneaky cameo in~ ;3


End file.
